“Destiny has two ways of crushing us…by refusing our wishes…and by fulfilling them.”  Henri Frederic Amiel

It’s Labor Day weekend and Jack Porter’s sailboat, “Amanda”, is on the ocean floor off the coast of Block Island.  Divers are searching for bodies.  One of the searchers says that the boat did not sink by accident, but sees something that makes him think that it was rigged to blow up and burn.  They come across a body – we only see a hand – but they also find a photograph of the Porter family as well as a gold compass on a chain.

The scene then changes to a time three months earlier and Amanda (For purposes of writing these posts and trying to keep these two women straight – the real Amanda is Amanda and the real Emily is Emily.  We know who is really who, even if Jack and the Graysons don’t – yet)  is bound, with rope,  to a rock off a shore in Japan while two men – one is a young American, and the other is older and Japanese  –  look on as waves crash over her head.  She is having flashbacks during which she is a child and sees her mother in a hospital, calling out for her daughter.  As Amanda begins to lose her battle with the water and slips in and out of consciousness, the memories become more vivid.  He mother is in restraints and hospital personnel are trying to hold her down.  One of the restraints is marked with the infinity symbol – something that has been a running theme and some sort of bond in the Clarke family.   Before Amanda finally succumbs, the younger of the two men, Aiden, frees her and takes her to shore.   She is angry with him – okay, more than angry – she commences beating the tar out of him, because she believed she was close to figuring out what had happened to her mother.  He survives the sparring match because he, too is a graduate of Takeda’s Revenge School and  he’s already asked their teacher’s permission to be her guide on the rest of her mission/journey.

While this is taking place, Ashley and Daniel have become quite the couple, if you overlook the fact that Daniel is drinking like it’s going out of style.  Ashley is absolutely glowing as she tries to become the new Lady of Grayson Manor.  It’s what she was hoping for and believes she got very lucky when the plane carrying Victoria, Lydia and some crucial evidence crashed.  Charlotte (Grayson/Clarke) is in rehab after her overdose following the plane crash.   Her father and the doctor agree that she is doing well enough to advance to out-patient care.  Charlotte tells them that she would like to be home by Memorial Day, in time for the art auction which her mother used to hostess.

Jack and his brother, Declan, are at odds over Emily.  She has come between them and Declan sees that, not only is he being kicked to the curb, but that his older brother doesn’t seem to be very happy with Emily around.   The bar is falling apart and Jack doesn’t even seem to care.  Declan suggests that Jack tell her he isn’t in love with her.  Jack’s first reaction is to tell Declan to move onto the boat so that he and Emily, who is 4 weeks from having her baby, can live like a family.

Amanda arrives in New York City, looking for Nolan, who is working out in a boxing ring.  He says that he’s been trying to get in shape just in case a white-haired man wants to blow them up, stab him or mete out other types of injuries.  Amanda tells Nolan that they need to go back to the Hamptons, something Nolan thinks sounds “vaguely revengy.”    The two of them go to Angel of Mercy Hospital, where Amanda’s mother had been a patient.  It was closed in 1993, two days after David Clarke was arrested.  While Amanda looks through the room where her mother stayed, Nolan finds the visitor’s log.   The log shows that David Clarke visited his wife within a couple of days of another visitor who signed the log as “Charlotte Clarke”.  The problem is that Charlotte hadn’t been born yet, and the two determine that the real visitor was Victoria.

When they return to Amanda’s house, Nolan tells her that he sold his own home – he says that it had some bad mojo and I think he has a point – so he’s going to stay with Amanda.   She goes to pay a visit to Emily who isn’t too happy to see her.  Jack comes in and Amanda tells him that Emily just asked her to be the baby’s godmother – clever girl.

The Victoria Grayson Memorial Day Art Auction commences and everyone is in attendance.   Conrad pulls Daniel aside to ask him if he’s made a decision about investing his trust and inheritance in Grayson Global.  Daniel informs his dad that he’s going to decline, choosing to keep the money and let Grayson Global crash and burn, if it’s meant to be.   Ashley is still flitting about, probably wearing something right out of Victoria’s closet,  as the new hostess of the event.  Charlotte arrives, with her doctor in tow, and isn’t pleased with the little speech Ashley is giving, along with the fact that one of the featured works of art is the famous “Victoria Unfinished”, a painting by Victoria’s lover, Dominik Wright.  Charlotte asks to speak and begins to talk about her Mom, dropping words like “contradictions” and “secrets”.  The doctor receives a call and suddenly announces that Charlotte has tested positive for Hydrocodone.  Before they can whisk her away, she runs to Amanda and whispers something in her ear.

Next thing you know, Amanda is at the door of a cabin and Victoria Grayson is standing there, very much alive.  When she asks Amanda how she found her, Amanda tells her that Charlotte told her.  Amanda also tells her how Charlotte is being treated.  When Victoria tries to call her daughter on a secret cell phone, the doctor, who has been searching the girl’s room, finds it.   Amanda then goes home to tell Nolan about Victoria and asks him to fashion a “clam cam” out of a little souvenir she pocketed from the cabin.  She also asks him to look into the doctor’s background.   Jack shows up to see Amanda and she suggests that Emily’s baby may not be his.

Amanda goes back to see Victoria to plant her “clam cam” and to tell her that Victoria’s federal friends will probably arrest the doctor.  He’s been taking money from Conrad to produce false drug positives for Charlotte’s tests.   Conrad needs him to keep Charlotte out of the way until he can secure power of attorney over her inheritance from Victoria. When Victoria says that she doesn’t deserve Amanda’s friendship, Amanda tells her that she’s just happy that Victoria’s alive.   Of course she is.  She’s far from done with her.   After Amanda leaves, Victoria is calling someone, angry and in a frenzy.

Amanda returns home and Nolan tells her that he hasn’t seen anything interesting on the “clam cam”, that is, until, oops, right now.   The white-haired man and Victoria are having a chat about Amanda.  The decision is made that he is to do what he always does – eliminate the liability.

Jack questions Emily as to her whereabouts during the time she ran away.  She tells him that she will take a paternity test to assuage his concerns.  Ashley is trying to comfort Daniel.  Daniel is still drinking and staring, longingly, at Amanda’s house.  Charlotte is still a prisoner at the very expensive and very shady rehab center.  Amanda is clutching the strap from her mother’s restraints bearing that infinity sign.  She’s vowed to find her mother – dead or alive.  I’d get out of her way – she’s a woman on a mission – and we’ve seen what her kind of revenge can do to some people.

Empress